The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-03-12
IRELAND'S PATRON SAINT.
A Writer in "Ohuroh Progress Proves
OonolusivelY that st. Patrick Was
Native Of France.
CERTAIN WRITERS lRR0NE0UsLY
Accredit Scotland With the Honor Of
Being the Birthpl CO Of the
Apostle Of Ireland.

Apostle OF 1Iolauu'
Our esteemed contemporary, the
Church Progress, recently published a
sketch of St. Patrick in which Scotland
was accredited with the honor of being
the birthplace of Ireland's Patron
Saint. A correspondent contradicts
the statement and furnishes excellent
proof that he is correct in stating that
it was in France, and not Scotland, the
Apostle of Ireland first saw the light of
day. We print the communication in
full, in the hope that it may prove in
teresting to our readers. The letter is
dated New York. February II, and is
addressed to the editor of Church Pro-
gress:
AS son of the Emerald Isle, I was
very much surprised when I read the
remarkable sketch you printed on the
5th inst, of st. Patrick, inasmuch as it
was wholly erroneous, whether it was
written by saint or sinner.
1 never heard any one. who was a
good scholar, claim that st. Patrick was
native of Scotland, except one Ameri-
an-Scotchman, Protestant, who
stated that the Saint was Scotchman,
but 1 thought he was joking. When I
read such statement as was printed
in the Church Progress about the Saint
of orr Tale however it amazed me, and
set me to work looking for your author
ity. first got the history of our Saint,
as published in Dublin by the Nun of
Kenmare, which is, I believe, one Of the
latest written; and, although l could
not accept her as great author, Gu
riosity caused me to read one of her
chapters about the place Of his nativity.
She attributed it to Scotland, which
surprised me not a little. I then took.
a glance over the work published by
John Murphy, of Baltimore, Md, in
1856, and found what did not please
me, although the modern Gaelic lam
guage, the Latin, and the English are
written side by side. Still find many
errors in 1t, Notwithstanding that sup
pose it was written by a priest. 1 find
in it the acknowledgment in the Gael
and Latin tongues, as made by St. Pat
rick himself, in the celebrated hymn of
St. Fiech, that he was native of
Tours.
Not fully satisfied with this, looked
into O'Halloran's History, which l
bought merely to look at its frontis-
piece. which has the most admirable
likeness (steel plate) of Brien Boromha
on horseback, ever seen; and [ found
that full Of vagaries, too. I was re-
serving the best works (authorities) for
the last, to satisfy myself of the subject
which was already implanted in my
mind. was curious, too, to find the
authority of the version given by the
Church Progress. 1 took up the ''Lives
of Three Hundred and Sixty-Five
Sainus," all illustrated, published in
Dublin; aud what was said there about
the great Apostle of Ireland was too
brief to be thorough. Then [ got Buffers
.'Lives of the Saints,'' and on reading
about the life of St. Patrick, 1 was more
than astonished; I was amazed, in fact,
that that great sacred writer had
qiven the conclusion which led the edi-
tor of the Church Progress to making
the blunder he did. Nothing l ever
read, surprised me so much; as next to
the Scriptures, I hold the ''Lives of the
Saints" by Butler, in the highest es-
TEEN: but must differ with him con-
cerning what he has said regarding the
native land of st. Patrick. have the
Able MacGeohigan's ''History of Ire
land" (who was French priest, and
brought down to the present time by
that great scholar and patriotic Irish
man. John Mitchell; but 1 have not
deemed it necessary to consult them. /
thought 1 would see what that great
Irish scholar, Father Thomas Walsh,
had to say in his Irish Church History
about the great Apostle; and felt
that very sad to find that he, too, has
made verygrave blunders about the great
Apostle that converted the Irish nation
to the Christian faith, by the working
Of innumerable miracles, even to the
driving of all the snakes out Of the Isle.
AS II know the author Of this work to
be an eminent Greek and Latin scholar,
too. trained IN the school of the Lion OF
the fold, and ordained by him, one OF
the most eminent Bishops OF the
Church, of the nineteenth century,
+John, Archbishop of Tuaia, now de-
ceased, must say felt not only a
little chagrined, but mortified. How
ever, I attribute some OF the state
ments made by Father Walsh about the
date and age Of our Saint to perhaps
carelessness in proof reading, or lack Of
accurate minuteness in the searching